There is Nothing Left to be Done
by elleC
Summary: Since when do revolutionary Russian novels have happy endings? An alternate ending to Chernyshevsky's classic What is to Be Done, illustrating the dangerous and less appealing results of revolutionary activity in late nineteenth century Russia.


i.

And so things were going well for Vera Pavlovna, her days full of her work in forming the second shop and her medical studies, her husband a constant companion at her side. While you may well think such a full life to be overly tiring, perhaps even exhausting, dear reader, it is merely because you lack the ambition and work ethic found naturally in people of a higher nature. When viewed from a hovel in the underworld, I suppose those standing on ground level would appear to be towering far above the standards of mere satisfaction, when in fact it is you who unknowingly sit below them. The time will come when the majority of peoples naturally strive for the best and view their work as a satisfying pleasure of life, but for now those people, the group which Vera Pavlovna, her husband and their friends belong to, are still few in number.

ii.

The occurrence of an unfortunate incident not long after the establishment of the second shop intruded upon the happiness of the couple. The admirable organization of Vera Pavlovna's sewing shops and the ease and efficiency with which they ran had long been a subject of interest within many political circles of a certain nature. A number of people came monthly to tour the shops, requests which Vera Pavlovna and Natasha Mertsalova happily obliged, modestly answering questions about the theories behind the group organization and the happiness of workers. One such visitor, a student at the University and member of a rather radical circle, decided the second shop, in the heart of the city, to be an ideal location for an impromptu demonstration of sorts.

Yes, the student was young and unfortunately for himself and those involved, passion does not always breed rationality. In fact, it is all too often that these two desirable traits appear to be mutually exclusive, particularly in the young, as age often brings about the decline of passion and the growth of sense. And so the well-intentioned fool brought a loud, violently agitated crowd of his foolishly passionate comrades to the doors of Vera Pavlovna's shop. A full recount of the events of that evening is unnecessary, as I'm sure, dear reader, you can surmise the direction of the demonstration. For our purposes, your vague understanding, devoid of details, is perfectly adequate, for I would not wish you to draw any harsh conclusions from the particulars of events which may well be beyond the realm of your moral and intellectual comprehension. Thus it is sufficient to say that though the Kirsanov's were completely innocent of any ties to the event itself, the choice of the sewing shop as the primary location was enough to bring them to the notice of certain government officials ones does now usually wish to be noticed by.

"Of course," says the perspicacious reader, "it is only natural that trouble should fall upon the happy couple." Yes, my dear reader, I see that you would be rather cynical when it comes to the continued contentment of such worthy people as the Kirsanovs. Go on, you want to tell me how it is that you, in your wisdom, could predict such a troubling occurrence. "It is only natural that when all things seem too good to be true, they will indeed prove to be so, and it is only a matter of time before adversity finds everyone," you want to tell me. To this I can reply only that it is the misfortune of people like the Kirsanovs to be among the first of their kind and to exist in a world where the majority stand below them. How can we remain glittering and clean when we must constantly travel through layer upon layer of muck?

Only a day or two after the unfortunate gathering at Vera Pavlovna's shop, Kirsanov received a visitor, an event which neither surprised nor overly worried the doctor, who had fully understood the implications of the passionate fool's actions as soon as the news had reached him. He accepted the summons politely and assured the officer charged with the unpleasant, or perhaps immensely pleasant, duty that he and his wife would indeed attend the inquisition. Kirsanov, always a rational man, did not see the situation as one requiring a great deal of his consideration. The strong reputation of the couple, particularly his own within the medical field, in addition to their lack of involvement with the actual event, would undoubtedly exonerate them and result in little more than an annoyance and waste of the time which could be spent working or partaking in some recreational activity within their social circle.

Had Kirsanov known that at the same time he had received his less than desirable visitor, another officer had been at the couple's apartment collecting their passports from a reluctant Stepan, he might have been a bit more concerned with the situation. But excessive worrying was not advantageous to the busy man, and so he let the event all but slip from his mind as he went about his daily routine of patient examinations and studies.

iii.

"Verochka, it looks as those we'll both need to attend this inquisition about the political rally that occurred outside of your shop. I had a feeling that something like this would occur, but I was hoping that it would be sufficient for them to question me alone to ascertain that we had no involvement."

"Dear Sasha, it won't be any trouble to attend. But Stepan did say an officer was here today and demanded our passports. He gave them, of course, what choice did he have after all? But is this really all that serious? After all, anyone can attest to the fact that we had no hand in the demonstration other than having met that student a few times at various gatherings," said Vera Pavlovna to her husband as she poured more cream into her glass. The couple was sitting at their evening tea, a medical journal spread out on the table between them as Kirsanov went over various aspects of anatomy with his eager pupil.

"I'm sure it will amount to nothing at all Verochka, just a mere inconvenience for both of us, but it's better to cooperate none the less. There have been a number of intellectuals as of late who've met the unfortunate fate of manual labor in the provinces, used as examples and held up in an attempt to quell any social discontent."

Vera Pavlovna looked lovingly at her sweetheart, so calm and sensible in the face of what would have been a terrifying ordeal to a lesser man. Her rational mind went through the same steps as her Sasha's had before her, reasoning that there could not be any real danger in the situation and agreeing that it would be not at all be advantageous to allow this mere trifle to upset her, but rather to remember it and perhaps teach it to the girls in the shop as an example of the unsavory effects that overly passionate, irrational actions can cause on both oneself and those connected in the smallest of ways to the situation.

iv.

Ah, my dear reader, I can see you've something to say yet again. Well, let us hear whatever foolishness has come to your mind now, no doubt it will be amusing if not at all intelligent. Of course, the perspicacious reader is not in the least worried by this misfortune which has befallen our honorable Kirsanovs. And why is that, my dear perspicacious reader? So you're of the opinion that good people will ultimately triumph over their challenges on the merit of their goodness in a world so filled with evil. Well, I'm not sure I'd agree that the world is filled with evil. No, it is not evil which plagues this world but mere foolishness, as I'm sure you, with your superior mind, my dear friend, have observed many times. But wait, before you were completely sure that some misfortune must befall our friends the Kirsanovs precisely because of the satisfactory lives which they led, and now you are quite sure that these good lives will not allow them to be overcome by that same misfortune? You seem a bit confused, dear reader, as to the place of good people like the Kirsanovs, and you very well should be, having had so little contact in your own lives with people of their caliber.

v.

The day of the inquisition two officers arrived at the apartment, unexpected by either Verochka or her husband, and escorted the couple to the dark hall in which the event was to take place. A panel of ominous looking men sat on a platform raised slightly above the level where the couple took seats to await their questioning. In her honest mind, it has not occurred to Vera Pavlovna that the outcome of the inquisition could be anything other than favorable for her husband and herself. They were perfectly innocent of all ties to the demonstration, which was little more than a group of students loudly expressing their political views. No real crime had been committed, she thought, not by the students and certainly not by herself or her Sasha.

Together, the couple answered hours of questions from the austere men at the front of the room. The initial questions directly pertained to the student event which the couple had little information on, but the majority of questions were about the lives of the Kirsanovs. The officers asked Kirsanov about his past, his education, his activities at the hospital and the current course of his study. A number of their questions inquired about the different intellectual circles he was a member of, often asking for specific names, meeting times and locations. Kirsanov, sensible as to the implications of the questions, answered as vaguely as possible, skirting around names and giving public locations such as the theater and University. Vera Pavlovna was questioned on her first marriage, her current course of study in the medical field, but mostly about the practices employed in her sewing shops and the theories behind them. Where had a woman from a background such as herself develop the organizational ability and theories necessary to establish multiple worker communes? Was she sure that she was not aided by any number of men, the inquisitors rambling off a list of names, some of which she was familiar with and some of which she was sure she had never heard of.

After what seemed an eternity of questions, the men called to an officer at the door and the couple was led down a dark hall by the muzzle of the officer's gun, Vera Pavlovna clinging to Kirsanov as he loudly protested their move and made demands upon the officer as to the location they were being taken.

xi.

"Sasha, what is to become of us? I don't see how we could have been found anything but innocent. Surely there is nothing extraordinary about our lives or our work."

"I'm not sure, my dear Verochka," Kirsanov relented while calmingly petting his wife's hands. "Perhaps we are to be made examples of. I know this has been happening throughout the cities, but with our reputation I did not think they could possibly find us at such fault. Don't despair, we will find a way through this, and as soon as we are given a chance to speak again, I will see to it that you are released and that all blame that they plan on putting on us is put on myself alone."

Vera Pavlovna raised her hands in shock at her husband's last statement. She could not leave him, alone in a cell, or in Siberia or anywhere else they should choose to place him. How could she live a life without him by her side? How could she continue living knowing he was suffering somewhere without her?

"No, my dear, I'm staying with you," she said, her voice faltering slightly from the emotion purveyed in it. "I won't leave you. I would rather live a life in this cell or in the provinces by your side than remain here without you."

Kirsanov looked at his wife, a mixture of love and quiet fear for her in his eyes. He knew what she spoke was the truth, and that no matter how he reasoned with her she would follow him to whatever area of the country they sent him to. While his rational mind fought against the thought of his beautiful wife performing manual labor, her clothes ragged and her face smudged with dirt, a part of him knew he was relieved that she would not allow them to be parted. He nodded quietly to his wife, and with her sitting by his side, he took out the few sheets of paper the officer had grudgingly provided him with and began to write various letters to alert his comrades to their current situation and to settle their affairs.

xii.

In her dream, Vera Pavlovna stood in a green field, the sun shining warmly down on her face and the sweet smell of wild flowers drifted to her nose. From a distance she heard the familiar exquisite voice softly calling her name, and she turned and began to run through the masses of tall grass and flowers in the direction of the sound. From out of the field appeared the woman of her past dreams: the bride of her bridegrooms of that first enlightening vision.

"Sister, I've come to comfort you and explain the meaning of your current suffering," said the goddess. "Tell me what is in your heart."

"I fear for my child and for my shops and the girls who rely on me," Vera Pavlovna answered earnestly, seeming to consider for the first time the mass implications of her impending exile. "I do not fear as much for my own well being as I do for my sweethearts and for those who relied upon us and will be affected if we are sent off."

The bride of the bridegrooms reached out and embraced Vera Pavlovna, drawing her close.

"Do not fear for your family or your friends, for they will be looked after," the bride said soothingly. "Do you know who you suffer for? You suffer for me. Men have died for me in the past and will continue to die for me in the future, as it must be until the day when all have seen my truth and have embraced me as you and your sweetheart have done. You fight for me and you suffer for me, and you will both be a shining example to others of my worth. My light will shine through you and will reach out into the world through your eyes and your lips. Fear not, my sister, for you are one with me and will reap the ultimate reward when the day has finally come when I will be celebrated openly by all. Now turn and look into the horizon and I will show you the secrets of what is to come and the glory that the world will one day know."

Vera Pavlovna took the outstretched hand of the goddess, her sister, and turned towards the far off sky, calm and ready to see what she was prepared to fight for.

11


End file.
